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Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi interacted with India's Commonwealth Games champions, noting the transformation of Indian sport over the past decade and saying that athletes' medals inspire school students more effectively than any exhortation could.
The Prime Minister said national sporting success depends not only on physical infrastructure but on building a sports culture across the country.
He highlighted the rising stature of Indian boxers, observing that international competitors now feel intimidated when drawn against them, and acknowledged athletes' feedback on the transformative role of the Khelo India Scheme and back-to-back competition support.
Athletes credited the Sports Authority of India for training facilities that enabled a transition from local sports centres to international podiums, and one recalled winning a silver at the first Khelo India edition in 2018.
The Prime Minister noted an Indian Army athlete's 5-0 victory over a Pakistani opponent on Kargil Vijay Diwas, dedicated to the Kargil heroes, and closed with 'Jo Khelega, Wo Khilega' — whoever plays, will blossom.
Build grassroots sporting talent and a national sports culture through competition, scholarships and infrastructure
Key: Began in 2018 with the first Khelo India School Games in New Delhi from 31 January to 8 February 2018; now runs Khelo India Youth Games, University Games, Winter Games and Para Games, with long-term athlete scholarships and Khelo India Centres of Excellence
Provide customised, high-end support to India's most credible medal prospects at the Olympics and other major events
Key: Started by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in September 2014 and revamped in April 2018 with a dedicated technical support team; funds foreign training, equipment, coaching and an out-of-pocket allowance for identified athletes
Promote sport and achieve excellence at national and international level through training centres, academies and coaching
Key: Set up in 1984 to carry forward the legacy of the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi; runs the National Centres of Excellence, Sports Training Centres and Extension Centres athletes credited in the interaction
Provide a statutory framework for recognition, governance and oversight of national sports bodies
Key: Establishes a National Sports Board as the apex regulator empowered to grant, suspend or revoke recognition of sports federations, and aligns Indian sports governance with the Olympic and Paralympic Charters
Give statutory backing to India's anti-doping framework
Key: Places the National Anti-Doping Agency and the National Dope Testing Laboratory on a statutory footing and creates a National Board for Anti-Doping in Sports, aligning India with the World Anti-Doping Code
The Commonwealth Games are a quadrennial multi-sport event for athletes from the member nations and territories of the Commonwealth, governed by the Commonwealth Games Federation. They began in 1930 at Hamilton, Canada as the British Empire Games and have carried several names since — British Empire and Commonwealth Games, then British Commonwealth Games, and the present name from 1978. India has hosted the Games once, in Delhi in 2010. Unusually among major multi-sport events, the Commonwealth Games have always included para-sport events fully integrated into the programme rather than as a separate Games. Glasgow, which hosted in 2014, stepped in to host the 2026 edition on a reduced programme after the original host withdrew — which is why India's fourth-place finish with 39 medals sits against a smaller sport list than at earlier editions, a qualification worth carrying into any comparison of medal tallies across Games.
Simple Analogy: The Commonwealth Games are a family gathering rather than a world championship: the field is narrower than the Olympics, which is exactly why they function as a proving ground for athletes stepping up.
The Army athlete who defeated a Pakistani opponent on Kargil Vijay Diwas points to the Services' long-standing contribution to Indian sport through the Army Sports Institute and the Services Sports Control Board
An athlete who won silver at the first Khelo India edition in 2018 and reached the Commonwealth podium in 2026 is the clearest evidence available for the scheme's talent pipeline claim
Sport is a State subject under the Seventh Schedule, which is why the Centre works through SAI, Khelo India and now the statutory National Sports Board rather than by direct administration
The Prime Minister's references to Varanasi and Bhopal reflect the deliberate spread of upgraded training infrastructure beyond the metros under Khelo India
GS Paper 2 > Governance > Government Schemes; Current Affairs
General Awareness > Sports and Current Affairs
General Awareness > Sports
General Awareness > Sports and Current Affairs
Mary Kom's most recent international gold medal was won at which tournament?
Answer: President's Cup, Indonesia
Multi-sport event results and sports schemes are guaranteed content in SSC and Railway general awareness
The quadrennial multi-sport event of Commonwealth nations and territories, governed by the Commonwealth Games Federation and first held in 1930 at Hamilton, Canada as the British Empire Games
The Government of India's grassroots sports development programme, launched in 2018, running youth, university, winter and para games along with athlete scholarships
Target Olympic Podium Scheme — the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports scheme launched in September 2014 to fund elite athletes' preparation for the Olympics and other major events
The apex regulator of national sports federations created by the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, with power to grant, suspend or revoke recognition